Barbecue Secrets

Recipe of the week - Grilled Pink Salmon in Foil

Many sport fishermen consider pink salmon to be the least desirable
amongst the five species of BC wild salmon, but I love it, and so
do some of Vancouver’s leading chefs. Not only is pink salmon
delicious and nutritious, it’s a sustainable fishery.

One of the interesting things about pink salmon: unlike the other
species, which have a four-year cycle, there are only two
populations of pink salmon, and on odd years like this one, they
return in the millions to spawn in Pacific Northwest rivers and
streams. (Along with two BC chefs I’ll be cooking a whole bunch of
pink salmon at this year’s Pink Salmon Festival at Vancouver's Hadden Park
on Kit's Point on August 30th from noon to 4.00 p.m. and
hope to see you there!)

Pinks are smaller than their cousins, with an average size of about
four pounds or two kilos, so they’re usually sold as whole fish.
That means the best way to grill them is to wrap them in
foil.

The following simple technique (which originally appeared in
my cookbook, Barbecue Secrets DELUXE! as a way of preparing trout)
gives the salmon a subtle and delicate flavor and texture, and the
orange adds a lovely flavor and aroma. Get the freshest possible
fish—pinks are best soon after they’re caught!

Makes 4 servings

1 whole, cleaned 4 lb | 2 kg pink salmon

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 Tbsp | 45 mL butter, at room temperature

2 Tbsp | 25 mL chopped fresh parsley

1/2 medium white onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 oranges, one sliced into thin rounds, and the other sliced in
half for squeezing

sprigs of parsley for garnish

Prepare your grill for medium direct heat. Tear off a strip of
heavy-duty foil 21/2 times as long as the fish and double it.
Spread 1 Tbsp | 15 mL of the butter evenly over the top surface of
the foil. Distribute about a third of the onion slices on the foil,
making a kind of bed for the salmon. Lightly season the fish inside
and out with salt and pepper, and sprinkle it with chopped parsley.
Place another third of the onion slices and half the orange slices
inside the body cavity and the rest on top of the fish. Daub the
remaining 2 Tbsp | 30 mL butter inside the fish and on top of the
onion and orange slices. Squeeze half the remaining orange over
everything and wrap the foil around the fish, sealing it
tightly.

Place the foil package on the cooking grate, cover the grill, and
cook the salmon for 10–15 minutes, or until the fish is just done
(about 140 to 150˚F | 60 to 66˚C). You can poke a meat thermometer
through the foil in the last few minutes of cooking to check for
doneness. To serve, open up the foil, carefully transfer the fish
to a warmed platter, and pour the juices left in the foil over the
fish. Garnish the salmon with orange wedges and parsley sprigs, and
finish it with a final squeeze of fresh orange.

[Photo of trout in foil copyright John Sinal Photography. Used
with permission.]